Bicarbonate exchange through the human red cell membrane determined with [14C] bicarbonate.

1. Bicarbonate transport across human red cell membranes was studied between 0 and 10 degrees C at alkaline pH values by determining the efflux of 14C-labelled bicarbonate from resealed erythrocyte ghosts. Transfer of labelled CO2 was eliminated as a source of error, when formation of intracellular 14CO2 was inhibited with carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. The study showed that there are no fundamental differences between the characteristics of bicarbonate and of chloride self-exchange as has been inferred from previous studies of chloride-bicarbonate exchange. 2. Efflux of radioactivity could be reduced more than 99% by reversible and irreversible inhibitors of anion transport. Inhibition of both chloride and bicarbonate self-exchange was linearly related to the binding of 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid (DIDS) to the membranes. Complete (i.e. greater than 99%) inhibition was obtained after binding of 1.2 x 10(6) DIDS molecules per cell. 3. Bicarbonate self-exchange proved a saturable function of bicarbonate concentration, with a maximum at external and internal concentrations of approximately 100 mM, showing self-depression at higher bicarbonate concentrations, and half-maximum exchange flux at a concentration of 10 mM. The results were consistent with the hypothesis that the exchange mechanism has two anion binding sites, one mediating ion transport and the other causing transport inhibition. 4. Maximum exchange flux of bicarbonate was about 30% larger thant that of chloride, and the affinity of bicarbonate for the transport site was about three times larger than that of chloride. The apparent activation energy of bicarbonate exchange was 28 kcal/mole, the same order of magnitude as found for other inorganic anions between 0 and 10 degrees C. 5. The ability of other inorganic anions to exchange with bicarbonate decreased in the sequence Cl greater than NO3 greater than F greater than Br greater than or equal to I, corresponding to the sequence of the rate of self-exchange of halides. 6. Counter-transport of bicarbonate could be driven by a chloride gradient, when ghosts containing KCl were suspended in a medium containing traces of labelled bicarbonate in addition to a non-permeating anion. Concentration ratios (ci/co) up to about 1000 could be obtained. 7. It is concluded that bicarbonate is transported by the inorganic anion exchange mechanism of the erythrocyte membrane. The slight differences between the exchange kinetics of chloride and bicarbonate were explained by differing affinities of the two anions for the two anion binding sites of the transport system.